The USDA has projected beef production to decline again in 2025, while it raised its pork production outlook.
University of Missouri’s Scott Brown says the 1.5-billion-pound decline for beef is a lot. “It just tells me how tight beef supplies are going to get,” he says. “That’s about a 2.5 pounds decline in per cap consumption over the period. Higher imports and lower exports help offset some of the drop in domestic production we’d see over that period.”
He tells Brownfield that is likely good news for prices, “$4.50 higher fed steer prices for 2025 is what USDA suggests”.